Chattanooga & Lookout Mountain, TN

As the fourth largest city in the state, Chattanooga, Tennessee is home to more than 150,000 residents. Originally an industrial and railroad hub, the city experienced a downturn during the 1980s, but rebuilding and revitalization efforts have paid off for the so-called "Scenic City." Named "America's Top Family Weekend Getaway" by Southern Living magazine, Chattanooga is renowned for its waterfront area, attractive downtown, and many local attractions. Together with nearby Lookout Mountain, the vibrant region is becoming an increasingly popular destination for those looking to retire or relocate to the Southeast.

More Chattanooga & Lookout Mountain Information

Economy

Although hit fairly hard by the 2008-2009 economic downturn, Chattanooga's economy is becoming more robust. Volkswagen has helped with the recovery of the Chattanooga community by building a manufacturing plant and creating 1,500 jobs. Wrigley, Unum, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Wacker Chemie, and Whirlpool are a few of the well-known manufacturing and service sector businesses whose expansions here have also helped to bolster the economy. And in 2012, Amazon announced expansion plans to its distribution center in Chattanooga, which will more than double the 2,000 workers it currently employs.

Cost of Living

Chattanooga is one of the most affordable cities in the U.S., and prices and sales for Chattanooga real estate are both on the rise. The estimated median value for Chattanooga homes in 2011 was $108,500, with an average of $265,929 in the community's best areas to live, such as Lookout Mountain, while the average property taxes were $1,090 and $4,083, respectively. The March 2012 cost of living weighed in at 89.6 (compared to the U.S. average of 100).

Health Care

Residents of the Chattanooga community have access to three full-service hospitals in the area. The Erlanger Medical Center is the largest medical facility in the Chattanooga community, and is a Level I Trauma Center for adults and the only provider of tertiary care services for a four-state region.

Memorial Hospital offers a cancer center and orthopedic center operated by Memorial Health Care, which also operates Memorial North Park Hospital in Hixson, 10 miles north of Chattanooga. It is a partner of the Chattanooga Heart Institute, the only diagnostic, treatment, research, and rehabilitation center in the area dedicated solely to cardiovascular care.

A third major facility, Parkridge Medical Center, is operated by Tri-Star Healthcare. It has 275 acute-care beds as well as a heart center and the Sarah Cannon Cancer Center. Parkridge's Emergency Department is an Accredited Chest Pain Center.

Sports

Professional sports fans need look no further than downtown Chattanooga. From April through September, the Chattanooga Lookouts, a Double-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, play home games at AT&T Field. There's also the National Premier Soccer League's Chattanooga Football Club, which calls Findley Stadium home from April through August. The Chattanooga Roller Girls compete in 12 events a year, with six at home at the Chattanooga Convention Center. On the collegiate level, the University of Tennessee - Chattanooga has both men's and women's sports teams.

Shopping

The Chattanooga community offers a variety of shopping venues to fit every budget. Locally owned trendy-but-affordable shops and boutiques can be found in both the NorthShore and Southside areas of the city. The NorthShore district, located along the Tennessee River, features boutiques, restaurants, coffeehouses, galleries, salons, and day spas. Merchants there also encourage shoppers to spend some time in nearby Renaissance Park or cross the Walnut Street Bridge, the longest pedestrian bridge in the world. If shopping for produce or locally made foods, Chattanooga Market features a large selection of fresh produce, local arts and crafts, herbs and flowers.

Southside, a revitalized historic district, features many art galleries including the area known as Warehouse Row, a restored set of buildings housing jewelry, clothing, and other retail shops, as well as numerous art galleries. Nearby Lookout Mountain is home to CC's Antiques, with more than 25 dealers offering an assortment of antiques and collectibles. Near the lower station of Lookout Mountain's Incline Railway are several crafts and gift shops.

In addition, there are two malls, the Hamilton Place complex and Northgate Mall. Hamilton Place Mall is the largest shopping destination in the state with more than 200 occupants and adjacent to the mall is Hamilton Corner. The Shoppes at Hamilton Place has more than 100 specialty stores, several restaurants and a 14-screen movie theater.

Getting There

By Air: Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport (Lovell Field Airport) offers both commercial and general aviation services, including fuel, rental cars, hangars, and tie downs. Another general aviation facility near Chattanooga is Dallas Bay Sky Park in Hixson. It has two public runways, and offers refueling and tie-downs. About 20 miles west of Chattanooga, in Jasper, is Marion County-Brownfield Airport, which is open for public use dusk-dawn. And 17 miles to the east is Collegedale Municipal Airport, which has one runway, fuel and aircraft repair and maintenance. For flights headed directly to Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, another option is Lookout Mountain Airport in Georgia. It has one 2,000-foot runway, but is privately owned, so prior authorization is necessary.

By Car: Chattanooga is easily accessible from any direction. Three major highways link Chattanooga to four major cities: Nashville, Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and Birmingham, Alabama. All are within 2.5 hours of the Chattanooga area.

By Train: The Amtrak station is located 4.2 miles from Chattanooga city center and is served by a thruway bus, not by a train. There are no facilities or conveniences and no public transit connections available.

Higher Education

The University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, located close to downtown, is home to more than 10,000 students. The university offers bachelor's, master's, education specialist, and doctorate degrees, as well as certificate programs. Its schools include Business, Engineering and Computer Science, Health, Education and Professional Studies, Nursing, and College of Medicine.

Chattanooga State Technical Community College, also located downtown, awards certificates and associate degrees in the areas of business, engineering, humanities, math and sciences, nursing, and technology. The campus includes the Tennessee Technology Center, a vocational school that offers 20 one-year diploma and seven certificate programs. In 2009, the college was selected to operate the Volkswagen Academy, the training center for Volkswagen's North American assembly plant in North Chattanooga.

Tennessee Temple University is a Christian-based liberal arts institution with a 55-acre campus in downtown Chattanooga. TTU awards master's, doctoral degrees, and certificates from the 11 majors and 20 minors offered. Programs include biblical studies, business administration, sign language interpreting, education, and psychology.

Virginia College has a School of Business and Health that offers diplomas, associate degrees, and bachelor degrees. Programs range from business administration, cosmetology, and criminal justice to medical assistant, office administration, pharmacy technician, and massage therapy.

Miller-Mote Technical College has a Chattanooga campus that is authorized for operation as a post secondary educational institution by the Tennessee Higher Education Commission. Its programs include clinical office and dental assistant, health information and resources, security and investigations, and medical assisting, billing, laboratory and office assistant.

Golf

While Lookout Mountain boasts one private equity golf community, Lookout Mountain Golf Club, located on the Georgia side of the mountain, there are quite a few public golf courses in and around the Chattanooga area, including: Brainerd Golf Course, Brown Acres Golf Club, Concord Golf Club, Hickory Valley Golf Club, Moccasin Bend Golf, Eagle Bluff Golf, High Point Golf Course and Mont Lake Golf & Country Club.

One of the most unique courses in the area is Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, which is part of Harrison Bay State Park. Bear Trace is one of 11 courses that are parts of the Tennessee Golf Trail, which was honored by the state in 2010 for its environmentally-friendly approach to course management. Bear Trace at Harrison Bay is one of three Bear Trace courses designed by Jack Nicklaus.

Arts & Entertainment

Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain are home to a wide variety of art galleries and museums, showcasing both historic and contemporary works. In particular, the Bluff View Arts, North Shore, Southside, and Main Street Districts are known for their distinct art studios, museums, and galleries. In addition, performing arts venues feature a wide range of shows, from concerts to live theater.

The Bluff View Arts District, on the South Shore and within walking distance of downtown Chattanooga, features a sculpture garden and River Gallery, which offers museum-quality works from local, regional, national, and international artists.

In the North Shore is the Houston Museum of Decorative Arts. Housed within a century old Victorian home, the museum has collections of antique glass and ceramics, as well as valuable antique furniture and music boxes. Also in the North Shore is the Hunter Museum of American Art, located on an 80-foot bluff overlooking the Tennessee River. Its permanent collection focuses on American art from the Colonial period to modern day and is considered the South's largest collection of American Art.

The campus of University of Tennessee - Chattanooga offers two performing arts venues. McKenzie Arena hosts sports and concert performances. The UTC Fine Arts Center includes a theatre, concert hall, and art gallery and has been host to the finest talent in music, dance and theater.

The Chattanooga Theatre Centre, on the North Shore of the riverfront, bills itself as "one of the oldest, largest, and busiest community theatres in the country," presenting 14 productions per year.

The historic Tivoli Theatre, on Broad Street downtown, is the home of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera Association, and also hosts a wide variety of touring companies each year in music, dance, opera, and the best of Broadway.

Memorial Auditorium, on McCallie Avenue in the downtown district, has hosted a wide variety of theater and performing arts events and concerts.

Once each year, the Choo Choo Centennial Theatre downtown stages a "Christmas Spectacular" that includes a live band, singers, and an illusionist.

Events

In April, more than 150 local, regional and national artists travel to Chattanooga to the Association for Visual Arts' 4 Bridges Art Festival held at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The event also includes live music and artisan foods, as well as a Kids' Art Creation Area.

In June, the nine-day Riverbend Festival at the 21st Century Waterfront along the Tennessee River, featuring more than 100 bands from many music genres.

The Fourth of July features a wide range of events across the city. One of the most popular is Pops on the River, presented by the Chattanooga Symphony & Opera Orchestra at Coolidge Park.

Throughout the summer, residents also enjoy free evening concerts featuring a variety of music, held on the Chattanooga Waterfront.

Each September, participants in the annual Trail of Tears Motorcycle Ride leave from the riverfront in downtown Chattanooga for a three-day ride to Oklahoma. It is the largest organized ride marking the start of the trail used during the removal of Native Americans from their homelands.

The 10-day RiverRocks Outdoor Festival, held at various Chattanooga community venues, celebrates the region's natural resources with events including hot air balloon rides, film fest, live music, hiking, biking, climbing, hang gliding, paddling, obstacle courses, and more.

Attractions

One of the most well-known attractions in Chattanooga, the Tennessee Aquarium, is located on the riverfront in two adjacent buildings: River Journey and Ocean Journey, and features more than 10,000 animals among the seven exhibits. Tennessee Aquarium also owns the IMAX 3D Theatre one block away, as well as the River Gorge Explorer, a high-tech vessel for waterfront tours on the Tennessee River.

The Chattanooga Zoo, five minutes from downtown, features five themed sections with a wide variety of animals and attractions such as a petting zoo and restored 1927 carousel. The Creative Discovery Museum, within walking distance from the Tennessee Aquarium, lets children experience the worlds of art and science without leaving downtown Chattanooga. It has eight permanent interactive exhibits and a changing exhibit area, as well as daily activities and information sessions.

Several of the area's most popular attractions draw on Chattanooga's history as a railroad town. The Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum offers daily rides to various destinations on board its vintage restored trains. The Model Railroad Display & Museum, part of the Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel and entertainment complex, has a scaled-down version of the real thing, including scenery. Built to HO scale (1:87), the re-creation is 174 feet long and 33 feet wide, and took 50,000 hours to complete.

The Lookout Mountain Incline Railway is a 10-minute ride up Lookout Mountain. This historic ride is the steepest incline for passengers in the world. Once you reach the top, it is a short walk to Lookout Mountain Battlefield, part of the Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park. A visitor's center, monuments, and trails are located on the 3,000 acres, which was the site of a major Civil War battle. Craven's House, used by both sides during the war, is the oldest structure on the mountain. At the entrance to Point Park in Lookout Mountain is The Battles for Chattanooga Electric Map & Museum. The three-dimensional map details Chattanooga's Civil War history, and features 5,000 miniature soldiers, 650 lights, sound effects, and details of major battles fought in November 1863.

Ruby Falls, at 1,220 feet beneath the surface, is the nation's largest and deepest underground waterfall open to the public, and one of the most famous attractions in the Chattanooga area. The waterfall itself drops 145 feet. Ruby Falls has a Zipstream Aerial Adventure Course, and well-lit caverns with many geologic formations worth exploring. Visitors can also take in the views from Lookout Mountain Tower.

Another natural wonder in the area is Rock City at Lookout Mountain. A popular stop since the 1930s, Rock City is known as one of "America's Amazing Natural Wonders." A three-quarter-mile trail leads to a scenic view of seven states. Along the way, you will find geological wonders including rock formations and native plant gardens.

Parks & Recreation

Opportunities for outdoor recreation are plentiful for residents of the Chattanooga and Lookout Mountain areas. One of the unique distinctions of the Chattanooga area is the fact that, in 2004, the city formed Outdoor Chattanooga, described as "a regional mechanism dedicated to the recreational use, education, and stewardship of the region's natural areas."

Fall Creek Falls State Park, 60 miles north of Chattanooga in Pikeville, Tennessee, is one of the state's largest parks, covering 20,000 acres across the top of the Cumberland Plateau. The highlight of this park is Fall Creek Falls, the highest waterfall in the eastern U.S. at 256 feet. Facilities in the park include a restaurant, picnic areas, an 18-hole golf course, a 345-acre lake offering fishing and boating, and 34 miles of trails.

Harrison Bay State Park covers 1,200 acres on Lake Chickamauga, about a half-hour from Chattanooga. The park has a 4.5-mile loop trail that is shared by bicyclists and hikers, and the lake is accessible for fishing and boating of all types and has a marina. There is also an Olympic-size swimming pool and a Jack Nicklaus designed, four-star golf course, Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.

The 353-acre Booker T. Washington State Park is located along the shores of Lake Chickamauga, about 10 miles northeast of Chattanooga. The park also features a six-mile looped bike trail and an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

The Prentice Cooper State Forest, on the Tennessee River Gorge, is 10 miles west of Chattanooga. While the park encompasses more than 24,000 acres, about 30% is in protected conservation areas. The open areas include 35 miles of hiking trails, including the south end of the Cumberland Trail State Park. Other recreational uses include hunting, camping, bird-watching, and equestrian pursuits.

The Chattanooga Nature Center takes advantage of the biologically diverse ecology of the Chattanooga area and offers displays, information, and restored log homes for exploration. The adjacent 300-acre Reflection Riding Arboretum & Botanical Gardens has a three-mile driving loop and 12 miles of hiking trails that join with those of the National Parks Service.

The privately owned Lula Lake Land Trust, which is open to the public several times annually, affords a chance to hike down to the base of a 150-foot waterfall - Lula Falls.

The start of the Cumberland Trail in Signal Mountain is just five miles from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee. The trail, when complete, will crisscross the state from south to north, but 190 miles are already open.

Latest Blog Posts

Balsam Mountain Preserve, a low-density mountain community located in Western North Carolina recently unveiled its newest amenity - Palmer Practice Park, a state-of-the-art golf practice facility designed by Arnold Palmer Design Company. This facility is located near Doubletop Village, the latest real estate addit...Read More

Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia, one of only 11 resorts to earn a GOLF Magazine Platinum Medal, is once again offering its popular "First Round's on Us" package for the rest of the summer 2018. The limited time only package, available through August 31, features a complimentary afternoon round upon the guests' arri...Read More

Testimonials

"Joyce
and I want to thank you for all your guidance as we prepared to look
for property on the coast of both North and South Carolina. We feel very
fortunate to have tripped upon The Schaffer Realty Group after reading
your blog site, www.southernwayoflife.com where it..."

"I
thought of you today when I paid my first mortgage payment on the lot! I
wanted to thank you for working with us for the years it took to find
the right spot. Your knowledge about the various areas helped me feel that I had researched the options without doing it all..."

"Thank you for the information on Sundrops. Phillip Gamble has sent pictures and communicated
to us very well. Cathy and I have found a fractional of a private
mountain home near Boone. It is in our price range and is 1/13 which is
what we think we want. We finalized..."

Accesskeys

This site contains a number of keyboard shortcuts, called "accesskeys," to assist in navigating. Each Internet browser has a different method of accessing these keys:

Internet Explorer on a PC use ALT+Accesskey

Firefox on PC use ALT+SHIFT+Accesskey

Firefox and Safari on Apple or Linux use CTRL+Accesskey

Please note: Internet Explorer users may also need to hit the “enter” key to activate a link. Apple users with Spaces enabled may need to use the accesskey for Skip to the main navigation (A); then, TAB through the navigation and press "enter" to activate a link.